The madness of Liverpool's first foray into European competition

Six-time European Cup winners; three-time UEFA Cup winner; a club synonymous with continental glory and famous nights in the spotlight: when it comes to European competition and experiences, you can safely say that Liverpool have been there, done it and bought plenty of t-shirts. Few teams have so much history across the continent. Crazy nights in Istanbul, thunderous rumblings against St-Étienne, and the despair of Heysel.

But every journey begins with a hesitant first step. And for Liverpool, that initial journey into the great unknown began in the summer of 1964. The nation was gripped by Beatlemania as the Fab Four began to take over the world. Such was the fervor, cinemas saw the release of A Hard Day's Night accompanied by screaming teenagers while the Beatles' return to their hometown saw 300 people injured as an estimated 150,000 attempted to see their idols in person. Liverpool became Britain's epicenter, relegating London to a minor role - at least until the Swinging Sixties exploded into full bloom.

And if Liverpool dominated the pop scene, they also dominated the world of football. Bill Shankly led Liverpool to the Second Division title in 1962, bringing the Reds back into the limelight. Incredibly, just two seasons later, Liverpool were champions of England for the first time since 1947, powered by goals from Roger Hunt, Ian St John and Alf Arrowsmith, who combined for 92 goals that season. p>

The championship was rewarded with Liverpool's first appearance on the European stage - a place in the European Cup against the continent's elite. It was a competition that at the time was still purely contested between league champions, a direct knockout from the start. No groups, no seeding.

It is almost impossible now to imagine Liverpool viewing European competition as an unknown quantity, but it must be remembered that, until Shankly won that title in 1964, Liverpool were in the doldrums.

The first British escapades in Europe were led by wolves, Manchester United, Dundee and Hibs. While those clubs visited Barcelona, ​​Madrid and Milan, Liverpool were mired in the Second Division, traveling to the slightly less glamorous metropolises of Scunthorpe, Plymouth and Rotherham. But all that had changed in three seasons, and Liverpool were now playing alongside the European giants.

The competition began with a preliminary round, although it was essentially a full round with only the previous season's winners, Internazionale, granted a bye. Given the draw and lack of top seeds, Liverpool theoretically could have attracted anyone, including Real Madrid or Benfica - a potential recipe for a short-lived fling.

But they managed to avoid the big boys and instead started their first European expedition with a trip to Iceland, whose champions were KR.

That season, KR became the first Icelandic team to participate in the European Cup, so a trip to their island was rare at that time. And what a trip it was. Now there are probably direct flights from Liverpool to Iceland, but back then it was a bit more complicated. Departing from Liverpool, the team had to fly to Manchester first, then fly from Manchester to London, then fly from London to Prestwick, and finally from there to Reykjavik.

What is more admirable is that some Liverpool supporters made the trip themselves. For many, Liverpool having never been to Europe, this could have been their first trip outside of England. As one fan said at t...